Juventus end stalemate run with 2-1 win at Monza

Juventus secured a 2-1 victory at bottom side Monza with first-half goals from Weston McKennie and Nicolas Gonzalez on Sundayto end a run of four Serie A draws.

The result left Juve in sixth place with 31 points, nine behind leaders Atalanta, who beat Empoli 3-2, while Monza stay on 10 points, five points adrift of the safety zone.

The Turin side's victory extended their unbeaten league run to 25 matches, the longest streak in the big five European leagues, but 10 draws have left them lagging in the title race.

Juve struck first after a dangerous scramble that Monza barely managed to clear off the line before failing to mark at the ensuing corner as McKennie volleyed in after 14 minutes.

Samuele Birindelli equalised for Monza eight minutes later after meeting a cross perfectly to volley the ball into the bottom corner for his first Serie A goal.

The strike carried an ironic twist as Samuele is the son of Alessandro Birindelli, a former Juventus player who made 305 appearances for the club, winning three league titles.

The visitors were back in the lead six minutes before the break though when a cross led to a scrambled clearance from Monza inside the box and Gonzalez reacted swiftly to fire home.

Juve manager Thiago Motta had a problem at halftime when midfielder Teun Koopmeiners had to be replaced with Khephren Thuram after reportedly struggling with a thigh problem.

The second half was less intense but visiting forward Kenan Yildiz did manage a late header that was parried at point-blank range by Monza goalkeeper Stefano Turati.